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@Iorvethe Iorvethe commented Jan 14, 2025

This mod is in essence the wide mod applied to both hands, shifting them by one column each. This is super useful when using Arsenik on a regular staggered keyboard as the [LAlt] is quite uncomfortable to reach (as is the [RAlt] without the wide mod) and may in the long term cause RSI on the thumbs, which would be unfortunate for an ergonomic layout.

The advantages I see are:

  • More comfortable [LAlt] which is extensively used
  • Hands further apart, even closer to a split keyboard
  • Potentially usable on keyboards with space-bars of >5 units

The possible drawbacks could be:

  • Loss of all keys on the left side such as [Tab], [LShift], etc.
    • Possible only after the HRMs are enabled, in which case this left cluster is unused and could be removed
  • Loss of home bumps, so harder to reposition without looking at the keyboard
    • May be solvable by either swapping the physical keys or by taping a DIY bump on the keys (what I did)
  • In case of a narrow physical keyboard, the left hand could rest on an edge which would be uncomfortable

There are a few flaws with it, but the increased comfort is such that I think the mod has its place in the project. I have been daily-driving this mod for a few weeks and it is a significant improvement. For context, I have a 5 unit space-bar, which should be usable without the wide mods, but I still experienced pain in the base of the thumbs and the joints after a few days of usage. Migrating to the ultrawide mod solved the pain.

A few TODOs before merging (if the PR is accepted):

  • Not sure about the name (or whether there is an agreed-upon name in the wider community for something similar)
  • Add a note about the wide mods in the README and caution about the potential RSI by not using them

The _ultrawide_ mod shifts both the left hand and the right hand by one
column in their respective directions. The result is an easier access to
both [Alt] keys with the thumbs, and hands further apart, akin to split
keyboards.
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